


Home Under the Lanterns' Light

by Oliver__Niko



Category: Tales of Vesperia
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Christmas, Christmas Date, Christmas Fluff, F/F, First Dates, Fluff, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-20
Updated: 2019-12-20
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:41:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21874582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oliver__Niko/pseuds/Oliver__Niko
Summary: Estelle takes Rita to the Christmas markets for their first date together. The latter is predictably nervous, but as the night goes on, she realises how much she is at home by Estelle's side.
Relationships: Estellise Sidos Heurassein/Rita Mordio
Comments: 10
Kudos: 22





	Home Under the Lanterns' Light

**Author's Note:**

> Last year, I painted a Ristelle first date to the Christmas markets. This year, I wanted to use that as inspiration for a oneshot. I hope you enjoy it!

Evening has arrived early. It brings an increase of iciness in the air, Rita Mordio shivering as it blows against her face. She lifts the thick, raspberry red scarf higher to cover her chin, a breath of hot air exhaled over it.

It could be a lot worse. Even without a sleeved jacket—Yuri told her that her dungarees, gilet and long-sleeved shirt combination was adorable, so that’s exactly what she chose—she could be colder. Perhaps she is simply shaking as much as she is because of her nerves.

She stops in front of the gates, glancing behind her at the university. There’s a number of students sitting outside. She guesses it’s because it’s milder today. They’d obscure her vision of watching out for a single person, only she’s fairly certain that nothing could possibly stop her noticing Estelle’s head of pink hair.

Rita rises on her toes and back down again. _Keep it casual, keep it casual …_ That’s what Judith said anyway, and the reason Rita decided she could take Yuri’s advice on what to wear, rather than wonder if she needs to go out and buy some sort of elegant dress for the occasion. But Rita is fairly certain that _trying_ to be casual is only going to result in her messing up everything.

A hand pats the hair poking out from underneath her hat. Ugh, it’s _still_ sticking up on the sides, like it always does … She really should have tried to straighten it. Or style it into proper curls, rather than these spikes. And she _tried_ to use a little make-up, but she doubts she is really any good at anything but research and experiments. Maybe she should have—

“Hey, Rita!”

… What is it that she should do again?

“Hey.” Her hands slip into her pockets, trying to keep her cool, although she is suddenly warm in the winter’s chill when her eyes land on the woman now beaming down at her.

A long pink trench coat with a fluffy collar, a black and white spotted shirt tucked into a black pencil skirt, thigh-high white socks and low pink heels … She looks stunning, putting Rita to shame in her opinion, although it’s the smile that Estelle gives her which is the most dazzling of all.

And despite how it’s clearly her who is enchanting, Estelle exclaims, “You look _so_ cute! This jacket—is it new?”

“Um, yeah. I didn’t get chance to wear it until now.”

“It looks great with your outfit.”

“I—thanks.” Rita is now noticing how much Estelle’s shorter hair suits her, framing her face in a chin-length bob. “You do too.”

Estelle’s eyes somehow manage to lighten further. “Thank you! Shall we get going? The Christmas markets aren’t too far, we can walk there.”

Rita nods in agreement. As the two begin to head down the road, Rita realises that despite Estelle being the one to suggest this, perhaps Rita should have been the one to say they should meet there … Now she has to endure her awkwardness in making conversation during their walk. Although they’re both at the same university, living nearby, so perhaps that would have seemed rude.

Everything simply feels different when you add the word ‘date’ to your usual time together.

“Maybe if we’re lucky, it might even snow,” says Estelle, glancing up at the sky. Rita follows her gaze and hums. Only a handful of stars manage to peak through the clouds.

“That’d be pretty, but it’s cold enough as it is.”

“Yet there’s nothing else covering your arms other than this!” says Estelle, pinching the material of the long-sleeved shirt. “You have to be careful at this time of year.”

“Don’t worry, I am.” Rita is both relieved and disappointed when Estelle lets go of the shirt. “It’s thicker than it looks. Maybe _I_ should be mothering _you_ ; you’re the one wearing a skirt.”

“But it’s only a little bit of my thighs! I’ll be okay.”

Estelle really should have not said that word. Now Rita is doing anything to not glance down at her long legs. She clears her throat, shoulders hunching as she hides in the safety of her scarf.

Her rescue arrives in the form of reaching the Christmas markets. Estelle is letting out an _“Ahh!”_ as the beautiful lights come into their view properly, breaking through the night’s darkness. Wreathes, tinsel, lanterns—all sorts of decorations accompany the lights, and weaving between the stalls are visitors wrapped up in their winter attire, a hum of conversation in the air.

“It gets better every year, or maybe that’s just me,” says Estelle. “Where should we go first? Would you maybe like to grab some food?”

“Let’s have a quick look through them all first, then decide after. We don’t want to buy something only to have found a better option.”

“Oh, good thinking! Then let’s go.”

Estelle is practically bouncing on the spot. Rita cannot help but be amused. It was Estelle who asked about this date, yet she’s the one getting the most excited. Rita far from minds this, however. She is possibly just as thrilled beneath the surface.

As they approach the first stall, which is selling handmade Christmas decorations, Rita finds her mind wandering back to the moment that brought them here at all. The two have been friends for some time already. After seeing each other in the library a number of times—Rita a first-year-student, Estelle preparing for her master’s degree—they found themselves talking to each other. Doing so for the first time made Rita wonder why they hadn’t done so from the start.

An immediate friendship blossomed, Estelle quick to introduce Rita to her friends, and now, over a year later … It’d be incredible to not notice the changes.

“Isn’t this pretty, Rita?” asks Estelle, holding up a painted bauble. “I think I might get it for Flynn and Yuri.”

“Yeah, you definitely should.”

Rita’s heart is still running wild, remembering the rush of emotions more than her mind remembers the words, though of course it still does so.

“ _I’d like to visit the Christmas markets, I think, but I’m not sure who with.”_

“ _We should go.”_ A somewhat shy smile from Estelle. _“On … On a date.”_

“Rita? Rita, you okay?”

“Sorry, what did you say?” she asks, bringing herself back to the moment, a reality where this date is actually happening.

“A cheese stall! Right next to this one.”

“Like those special homemade ones you get?” A small paper bag with the bauble now in Estelle’s hand, the two side-step to the neighbour stall. “Oh, they have samples.”

“You’re free to try as many as you’d like!” says the man in the stall.

“There’s just so many,” says Estelle dreamily. “Oh, but look! There’s a sweet chilli one! Rita, try this, I’m sure you’d love it.”

“Ah, sure—”

She blinks when she sees that Estelle is holding up a cocktail stick with a small cube of cheese stuck on the end. Rita swallows, feeling her face go warm.

“I can do it myself.”

Estelle simply continues to beam. A ray of sunshine, basking in the night. And Rita is hardly strong enough to resist. She inhales before leaning forward. A gorgeous burst of flavour, mature cheddar and a hint of spiciness, fills her mouth instantly.

“Oh, that’s actually really good!”

“Right?! Are you going to get it?”

“Hmm, I just want to check the others first …”

Rita hasn’t the strength to continue Estelle’s actions with feeding each other, but they still enjoy the man’s welcome for them to try the cheeses to the full extent. In the end, Rita is thanking the man as she leaves with her initial love. Estelle is already bouncing over to the next stall.

Time rushes by when they are caught up in their enjoyment. The nervousness of their label on this time together eases away; when they are merely acting as they always do, it’s easy for Rita to lose herself. They flick through the stalls selling meals, strong enough to resist for now, and dwell at the non-food stalls, looking for extra little gifts to buy for their friends.

It isn’t until they reach one of the last stalls, a place selling knitted accessories, that Rita’s nerves come rushing back.

“It’d be nice to buy you something, other than our dinner,” says Estelle, glancing through the stall. “I mean, you said yes to visiting, so it’s only right!”

“Oh no, you don’t have to do that,” Rita mumbles. “I can buy my own dinner, and I don’t really need anything.”

“But this is a date, right? And I asked you to come with me.”

“Yeah, but …” Rita finds the courage to glance at Estelle’s face. There she finds bright, hopeful eyes, allowing her to realise that Estelle isn’t merely saying this out of obligation. “I mean—okay. But I’ll pay another time.”

“It’s a deal!” says Estelle, turning back to the stall and allowing Rita a moment to realise what she said—that she has suggested this will not be the only time. “Is there anything you’d like from here? You already have a hat and scarf, but maybe gloves or socks … I imagine your hands are cold.”

Rita hums. “To be honest, they’re freezing.”

“Maybe it’s because you’re so small!”

“I’m not _that_ small.”

“Whatever you say!” Rita huffs, hiding her smile as Estelle turns around, laughing.

Knowing that Estelle is not likely to back down from this, Rita follows her gaze to the stall. A gift from Estelle, whilst also supporting the smiling person who has made these … Perhaps that really wouldn’t be so bad.

She continues to browse through, humming under her breath, before she reaches for a brown pair. The thumb is fully covered, yet the gloves are fingerless; they have an attachment to turn it into a mitten, detailed with white cat ears, eyes and a nose.

“Oh, those are so cute!” Estelle exclaims when she notices. “Do you want them?”

“If—if that’s okay.”

“Of course it is, it’d be a crime for you to not have these.”

Estelle happily makes the purchase. Even if they are only gloves, Rita is filled with a surge of great joy as she pulls them on. They really are adorable.

“You’re not going to wear them as mittens?” asks Estelle.

“Nah, we’re going to go grab food now, right? It’d be a bit of a pain eating with mittens on.”

“Ah, that’s true. I’m just thinking of your poor fingertips.”

Perhaps this is Rita being far too hopeful, or simply the image her mind is conjuring is too powerful, but she swears that there is a hinting tone in Estelle’s voice. Rita’s tongue runs over her lips nervously, eyes glancing down at Estelle’s hand, before she looks away and holds out her own.

“W-Well, there’s ways to keep them warm,” she mumbles. She doesn’t dare to bring her eyes back to Estelle. Not until a hand a little larger takes her own at least, and Estelle is stood by her side, smiling down at her.

Rita swallows, using her other hand to cover the curling of her lips with her scarf. Her heart is beating far faster than it should as the two begin to search for the perfect food stall.

* * *

Eventually, with their stomachs rumbling and a decision needing to be made, the two women settle themselves down with their food; chicken and pork noodles, the steam of which hits them right in their faces.

Rita breathes in the smell of her food before scooping up some of the noodles with her chopsticks. Both she and Estelle release an appreciative noise, the noodles hot in Rita’s mouth. She swallows and feelings instantly warmer in the cooling temperatures.

“These are great,” says Rita. “Thanks for buying them.”

“Of course! It’s exactly what we needed.” Estelle eats another mouthful. “Mm … The pork is so soft!”

“And this chicken … Man, Christmas markets are the _best._ I’m glad I’ve finally got to go to them.”

An expression of shock appears on Estelle’s face. She swallows, asking, “Wait, you’ve never been to them at all?”

“No?”

“But … But you seemed so excited. I thought it’d be because you enjoy them.”

“W-Well, I was excited to spend time with you.” Rita pops more noodles into her mouth, eating them as she glances up at a line of Christmas lanterns above their head. “And to be able to finally see what it’s like. I’ve kinda always wanted to go to them.”

“Why haven’t you before?”

She stirs the noodles in their box. “No one to go with, I suppose. I mean, I don’t have any family, and I’ve never really had any close friends before you guys, so …”

Feeling awkward for stepping into her family troubles, she continues eating the noodles silently, trying to avoid Estelle’s gaze. This is one of the things she was trying to avoid. Over-sharing on a first date? How can she be stupid enough to pull this one?

But Estelle is far more than simply someone she is dating. They’ve already known each other for a year already, forming a close friendship before anything else. Opening up to Estelle feels natural, a place she will not be judged, even if she is still hesitant and fearful of doing so.

“Last year, we would have welcomed you gladly, even whilst you were still getting to know us,” says Estelle at last. “You know that, right?”

“I suppose so, yeah.”

“You don’t have to spend this time of year alone anymore. Never.” Now finished with her noodles, Estelle taps her finger on the side of her hot drink instead, appearing to contemplate her words. “I’m not comparing us directly, because we’ve both been in different situations. But I’ve never been close to my family either. Too strict, expecting so much—I didn’t feel free at all for a long time.”

Rita has heard similarly before. Here, however, amongst all these lights and taking a moment for themselves, it feels far different. “It took a lot for you to move on from them and do what you like, huh?”

“Oh yes, for sure. I mean, even with doing this Literature degree … I think it’s still better than if I took an art subject or something, but the amount of lecturing I got because I wasn’t trying to be a lawyer or doctor … And a lot of other things.” Miraculously, a smile has reached her face. “I think they do love me. But upper class families like this—it never really shows in them. I didn’t really get to be myself until I met Flynn and the rest.”

“You know, I can relate to that, even if a lack of family is my issue,” says Rita. “I mean, you’d think that growing up alone would mean you _could_ be yourself, right? But in reality, other people are always influencing who we are. I don’t think you can truly be yourself until you have people you _can_ be yourself around.”

“I’ve never really thought about it this way, but you’re right for sure. And that means we both have had to find our own families. We had to make bonds stronger than the ones we’re supposed to have. I was finally able to enjoy myself once I found my family, and we’re your family now, too. We don’t want you to be alone anymore.”

Rita is finally able to bring her eyes back to Estelle. Her mouth is open, overwhelmed by the rush of emotion these words bring to her. She swallows, averting her gaze away again before she does something silly like cry. When her head bows, however, with her fringe falling over her eyes, there’s still a smile on her face.

“Thanks, Estelle.”

She can sense Estelle’s smile without having to see it. The latter shifts closer to her on the wall, rubbing a hand over her back. Rita allows herself to move closer to Estelle in return. A silence follows, simply a little nerve-wrecking as opposed to tense, Rita staring down at the drink now in her hands as Estelle takes a sip from her own.

The hand on Rita’s back strokes further over it. It takes hold of Rita’s upper arm instead, using it to bring her closer. Rita’s heart beats faster, only making this worse by leaning her head against Estelle’s shoulder without really thinking about it.

“The lights are pretty,” says Estelle. Rita glances up at the lanterns again, before scanning the fairy lights around them. She finds that her eyes land on Estelle’s face in the end, illuminated by a golden glow, whilst she has the chance to do so when Estelle is looking away.

“Yeah. Really is beautiful.” Rita manages to avert her eyes before Estelle meets them, pursing her lips. “Estelle?”

“Yes?”

“Thank you for tonight. Really. I don’t think I’ve had this much fun in a long time.”

Estelle is silent for a moment, seemingly taken aback by this straightforwardness. “It’s not like you to be so honest about how you feel.”

“Yeah, well, I’m feeling generous today.”

Rita grins when Estelle laughs. “I’m honoured! No, really, away from my teasing … I’m glad that I can help you enjoy yourself so much. You deserve to be happy just like everyone else.”

“I—thanks. You do as well.” Rita’s gaze drops down to her lap. “I really do like you, Estelle. A lot.”

It doesn’t take any explanation to tell Estelle what Rita means by this. Her drink placed on the wall next to her, Estelle brushes a few strands of hair behind Rita’s ear, her fingertips electrifying against Rita’s skin.

“I feel the same way about you.”

Silence. More nerve-wrecking than ever, Rita’s heart about to burst out of her chest, yet something else now mingles in with those nerves. She’s not sure if she can call it courage. Perhaps a determination to not let this slip away, that no matter how timid she might be, she cannot walk away from this without something happening. More than simply intertwined hands and fingers still resting on the side of her cheek.

Estelle must feel the same way. As for when Rita urges herself to lean forward, Estelle has done so as well, bringing their lips together into a kiss.

Her lips feel warm despite the cold air. They’re soft, reminding Rita of the moments she has caught Estelle using her favourite strawberry flavoured lip balm. Rita’s eyes close, kissing back, Estelle’s hand cupping her cheek.

Rita isn’t sure what to do with her own hands. She’s been hit with the sudden realisation that this is actually her first kiss. She trembles slightly, nervous but ecstatic at once. She has to part and look away, a hand held over her mouth, but it’s certain that Estelle would have seen her smile first.

“Okay?” Estelle asks softly, Rita nodding.

“Yeah. I’m okay.”

Estelle’s hand shifts to the back of Rita’s head, straightening up to place a kiss on top of it. Such a simple gesture is enough for Rita’s heart to skip a beat. She hasn’t yet moved her hand—she can feel how hot her cheeks are, hopeful that she can at least cover this partially, although not fully confident that this is the case.

There’s a silence now, Estelle seeming to realise that Rita needs a moment to process this. It’s not quite awkward. In fact, as they sit hand-in-hand, watching as people laugh and talk to each other as they walk by, it’s anything but.

When Rita finally feels as though her heart is beginning to slow down, she says, “So, uh … It’d be nice to do this again, before classes start.”

“I completely agree,” says Estelle, smiling. “More dates would be lovely. Although I think the rest of the group want to spend time together, as well … Ice skating, possibly.”

Rita groans. “Oh no.”

“Bad at it?”

“I’ve never tried, so … yes, most likely.”

“We can teach you, don’t worry! And they even have those little penguins that you can hold onto to stop yourself from falling.”

“I’m not a _child!”_

Estelle bursts out laughing. The light sound is contagious, Rita doing the exact same. They are soon on their feet again, the rejoining of their hands natural, no second thought at all needed. Their other hand reaches out to the light snow now dancing down from the sky.

They stand quietly for a moment to watch these snowflakes be illuminated by the lanterns’ lights, even more captivated than they had been when they first arrived here.

“Merry Christmas, Rita,” says Estelle.

“Same to you,” Rita answers, knowing that for once, she will be sad to see the holidays pass her by.


End file.
